How a Generation of Latin American and West African Artists Has Come to Speak the Same Language

About 50 kilometers southeast of the Colombian city of Cartagena rests the village of San Basilio de Palenque: the cradle of the country's distinct cumbia music. Founded in the 17th century as a refuge for escaped enslaved people, its very existence is a testament to resilience and cultural preservation. Here, cumbia's powerful rhythmic heartbeat began with the resonant beats of African drumming traditions using instruments like the tambora, tambor alegre, and llamador. This African influence blended seamlessly with local flute melodies and European harmonies, creating a vibrant musical language that tells the story of its blended heritage.

This shared DNA, forged centuries ago, is the same sonic foundation that fuels today's modern musical fusions. It's why the collaborations between a Nigerian Afrobeats star and a reggaeton artist from Colombia feel less like a trend and more like a rhythmic reunion. The music is, in a way, coming full circle, and this isn't by chance. Rather, there is a deep reciprocal cultural dialogue where Latin American artists are embracing and reimagining Afrobeats' sounds through their own perspectives. The proof is in the data: In 2025, Afrobeats listenership in Latin America grew by more than 180% year-on-year, signs of a passionate fan base pressing play more often.

A deeper dive into Spotify data reveals landmarks of Afrobeats' journey across Latin America. Since 2020, Argentina and Mexico have witnessed more than 400% growth in Afrobeats streams, while Brazil has seen a 500% surge in the same period. Yet no Latin American nation has been more captivated by the Afrobeats phenomenon than Colombia, where 25 million hours of the genre have been streamed so far in 2025. Here, local trailblazers like Kapo and Be le stand at the forefront of this homegrown embrace, drawing inspiration from the West African sound and boldly propelling it in fresh directions. Their collaborations with Nigerian hitmakers allow for a vibrant reimagining of these infectious tunes.

The Colombia connection Be le has been connected to Afrobeats since he was just 12 years old. Ever since hearing Davido's 2013 hit Aye, he has typically looked to fuse Afrobeats with local sounds like champeta and salsa. By the time he was 16, he'd dropped the viral song Loco, which became his first Billboard chart entry, proving this genre-bending approach was resonating with a range of listeners. He later doubled down on this musical blend on his debut album, BORONDO, collaborating with Nigerian producers like London and Daramola. This project peeled back the layers, revealing a profound fusion that would forever reshape Colombia's musical identity.

Another Colombian artist, Kapo, broke out in 2024 with Afrobeats-inspired tracks like Ohnana and Uwaie, both of which charted on the Billboard Global 200. Ohnana earned him his first Billboard No. 1 on the Latin Rhythm Airplay. Kapo's creative choices, from his melodic cadences to his production style, are clearly rooted in Afrobeats and reinterpreted through his Latin lens. He exemplifies how this isn't just a trend being dictated from afar; it's a creative exchange inspiring a new sound for the streets. In an interview, Kapo says he knew that Afrobeats always had the potential to go off in Latin America. When I was in Panama with Mr. Saik, we'd talk about how Afrobeats could be the next sound to take over Latin America, he recalls.

This cross-cultural collaboration is a two-way street. When rising Nigerian star Fido enlisted Kapo for a remix of his breakout single Awolowo, it made for one of the earliest collaborations between a rising Afrobeats act and a rising Latin act, showing a genuine artist-to-artist dialogue happening organically between the two regions.

A global language of rhythm This new generation of artists is also forging cross-continental connections through collaborations that introduce new layers to music from both sides of the Atlantic. Puerto Rico's Rauw Alejandro crafted a defining moment for the culture with his standout track, Santana, featuring Afrobeats superstar Ayra Starr and Jamaican producer Rvssian. The song's success, with over 300 million Spotify streams, earned Ayra Starr the first Latin Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The remix of Omah Lay's Soso with Ozuna married Omah Lay's raw emotional delivery with Ozuna's reggaet n smoothness, creating a sonic fusion that mirrored both artists' interest in introspection.

While Latin America's rising stars are forging these connections, Nigeria's Afrobeats pioneers have also heavily influenced this exchange. Nigeria's Mr Eazi and Colombia's J Balvin present a perfect case study. An organic, brotherly connection formed in 2018 has since evolved into a full-fledged musical partnership. Their collaboration on Lento and Arco ris with Tainy showed how these two genres can seamlessly blend into a global smash hit. Arcoiris even earned a Latin Grammy, one of the first major industry acknowledgments of an Afrobeats-Latin record.

In an interview with OkayAfrica, Mr Eazi says he had been fascinated with the Latino music scene since 2018. This curiosity drove him to go open for J Balvin for crowds of 20,000 capacity per show of people that don't even know me or know anything about Afrobeats. He adds, I ended up winning a Latin Grammy and I don't even speak Spanish. J Balvin's work with other established Afrobeats artists like Burna Boy on Rollercoaster represents another symbolic crossover between Afrofusion and Colombian reggaet n, showing that the dynamic interplay between African and Latin influences is taking place across many genres.

These artist-driven partnerships go beyond isolated incidents, making it cl

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